This Day in Sports History: September 9
Sports fans are in for a treat in September, with baseball action, the start of the NFL and college football seasons, UFC battles, the Ryder Cup, and Formula 1 races….
Sports fans are in for a treat in September, with baseball action, the start of the NFL and college football seasons, UFC battles, the Ryder Cup, and Formula 1 races. Over the years, Sept. 9 has witnessed notable moments and stories from sporting legends. Here's a closer look at some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Momentous events in sports history that occurred on Sept. 9 include:
- 1841: Tom Hyer became the first American heavyweight boxing champion.
- 1909: Jack Johnson successfully defended his heavyweight boxing title.
- 1914: George Davis pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1928: Silvio Cator of Haiti set a long jump world record with a leap of 26.02ft (7.93m) in Paris, France.
- 1936: The Yankees clinched the AL pennant on the earliest date in MLB history.
- 1940: Donald McNeill won the U.S. National Championships, now known as the U.S. Open, marking his second major singles title.
- 1940: Defending champion Alice Marble beat Helen Jacobs 6-2, 6-3 for her third US singles title.
- 1945: Jimmie Foxx hit his 534th career home run.
- 1948: Rex Barney pitched a no-hitter against the New York Giants.
- 1955: Don Zimmer hit the 4,000th home run in Dodger history.
- 1960: The Denver Broncos beat the Boston Patriots 13-10 in the first-ever American Football League game.
- 1965: Sandy Koufax threw his fourth career no-hitter and first perfect game.
- 1969: Rod Laver completed his second calendar-year Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open final.
- 1970: Feyenoord won soccer's Intercontinental Cup.
- 1971: Gordie Howe retired from the NHL.
- 1972: Billie Jean King successfully defended her U.S. Open women's singles title.
- 1972: Soviet runner Lyudmila Bragina won the women's 1,500-meter gold medal at the Munich Olympics with a world record time of 4:01.38.
- 1973: Jackie Stewart won his third F1 World Drivers' Championship.
- 1978: Chris Evert won her fourth consecutive U.S. Open singles title.
- 1978: The Baltimore Orioles pulled off their 7th triple play.
- 1979: John McEnroe won his first Grand Slam singles title.
- 1984: John McEnroe won his seventh and final Grand Slam singles title.
- 1987: Nolan Ryan achieved his 4,500th career strikeout.
- 1987: Larry Bird of the Celtics began a basketball free throw streak of 59 consecutive successful shots.
- 1988: The Atlanta Braves' Bruce Sutter joined Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage with 300 MLB career saves.
- 1990: Pete Sampras won his first Grand Slam singles title.
- 1992: Robin Yount became the 17th player in MLB history to record 3,000 career hits.
- 1995: Steffi Graf won her fourth U.S. Open singles title.
- 2002: Randy Johnson hit the 300 strikeout mark for the fifth straight season.
- 2006: Maria Sharapova claimed her first U.S. Open singles title.
- 2007: Roger Federer won his fourth consecutive U.S. Open singles title.
- 2007: On opening Sunday, the NFL caught a New England Patriots video assistant illegally recording the coaching signals of the New York Jets, setting off the infamous "Spygate" controversy.
- 2012: Serena Williams claimed her fourth U.S. Open singles title.
- 2021: Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to start 300 regular-season games.
Looking back on the events of Sept. 9, three athletes stand out: John McEnroe, Randy Johnson, and Tom Brady.
McEnroe was known for his masterful shot-making and volleying as well as his notorious on-court temper tantrums, which often included screaming at officials. Johnson played 22 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks, winning five Cy Young Awards and helping lead the Diamondbacks to a 2001 World Series title. Brady won a record seven Super Bowl titles, holds numerous NFL records, and is a prominent global icon in the sport.
